* Describe your first student teaching context (school setting). What school are you at, what are some of its characteristics, and what classes are you teaching, and how are classes scheduled at your school?
My teaching placement is at Coventry High School which I must say so far has been a great experience. The faculty there are very helpful and supportive and have been constantly asking me how I am doing and telling me that if I need anything just ask. The students, for the most part, are respectful, inquisitive young people who seem to have a good sense of direction as to where they are going with their lives. This I feel is due to the professionalism and support that I observe daily from the faculty and staff. This semester I am teaching CHM 424 (Period 1), a half-year chemsistry enhancement class designed to strengthen mathmatical skills in chemistry, and two CHM 422 classes (Periods 5 and 7), which are middle level first year chemistry courses. My classes consist mainly of juniors and seniors. Classes are setup on a rotating schedual on Mondays and a fixed block schedual Tuesday-Friday. At first this took some getting-used-to but after a week of teaching I think I've got it down pretty well.
* Explain one of your "stealth" objectives that you want to accomplish with your students and why.
My period 5 class had a lab that they were working on this week and the period was winding down to a close, a handful of students had finished their observations and filled out their data tables (the rest were still working/cleaning up before the bell). I instructed the students that had finished to begin answering the question set that was to accompany their lab report. I was walking around checking on their progress and one of the students began to talk to me about taking tests. He told me that he gets test anxiety and was wondering if I had any suggestions that might help him. I explained a method that I had used in the past (as the same thing used to happen to me) that required him to do a little bit of studying each day before the test and told him that the method required a great deal of dicipline. I emphasised the importance of time management and explained that it is a skill that, if developed, will give you more confidence going into a test and cause you feel less anxiety. So, I think one of my "stealth" objectives that I wish to accomplish is getting students to practice good time management. I know this is a bit of a lofty goal, but I feel that it is an important skill that if mastered makes your life a lot less stressful.
* Describe your first student teaching context (school setting). What school are you at, what are some of its characteristics, and what classes are you teaching, and how are classes scheduled at your school?
My teaching placement is at Coventry High School which I must say so far has been a great experience. The faculty there are very helpful and supportive and have been constantly asking me how I am doing and telling me that if I need anything just ask. The students, for the most part, are respectful, inquisitive young people who seem to have a good sense of direction as to where they are going with their lives. This I feel is due to the professionalism and support that I observe daily from the faculty and staff. This semester I am teaching CHM 424 (Period 1), a half-year chemsistry enhancement class designed to strengthen mathmatical skills in chemistry, and two CHM 422 classes (Periods 5 and 7), which are middle level first year chemistry courses. My classes consist mainly of juniors and seniors. Classes are setup on a rotating schedual on Mondays and a fixed block schedual Tuesday-Friday. At first this took some getting-used-to but after a week of teaching I think I've got it down pretty well.* Explain one of your "stealth" objectives that you want to accomplish with your students and why.
My period 5 class had a lab that they were working on this week and the period was winding down to a close, a handful of students had finished their observations and filled out their data tables (the rest were still working/cleaning up before the bell). I instructed the students that had finished to begin answering the question set that was to accompany their lab report. I was walking around checking on their progress and one of the students began to talk to me about taking tests. He told me that he gets test anxiety and was wondering if I had any suggestions that might help him. I explained a method that I had used in the past (as the same thing used to happen to me) that required him to do a little bit of studying each day before the test and told him that the method required a great deal of dicipline. I emphasised the importance of time management and explained that it is a skill that, if developed, will give you more confidence going into a test and cause you feel less anxiety. So, I think one of my "stealth" objectives that I wish to accomplish is getting students to practice good time management. I know this is a bit of a lofty goal, but I feel that it is an important skill that if mastered makes your life a lot less stressful.